Kate Bornstein's Blog for Teens, Freaks and Other Outlaws

It Takes More Than a Knife in My Guts to Keep Me Down!

Hey there.

Just a quick note to say I'm back home from my major abdominal surgery in the hospital, and I'm doing well by all medical standards. I'm deeply grateful for the many calls, notes, comments, and text messages wishing me good health. And I rejoice that I continue to be surrounded and supported by family and tribe. As soon as I get my brain free of all this anesthesia and dynamite pain-killers, I'll try to put a real piece up here.

OK, I love you. I do.

Kate

PS -- Special kisses to the participants and attendees of Trans Pride 08 in Northampton, Transfabulous 08 in London, and the San Francisco Trans March coming up the end of this month. I'm sorry I couldn't attend.

PPS -- My regrets also to the Boston Dyke March 08, and the upcoming Femme Conference in Chicago this summer. Wish I could be there. Maybe a rain check?

PPPS -- Lots of warm hugs and best wishes to all the youth—my hosts and hostesses—who've made me feel welcome in their schools, at their conferences, and on their campuses these past years. And kisses to my fabulous family in both Norway and Ireland. Love you lots, and hope to see you again sooner than later.

Healing Time News -- With a Free Bonus Comic!

Dear Reader of This Grossly Intermittent Blog,

Hey there. I'm writing to say I'm going into hospital on Thursday, June 12th for some abdominal (abominable?) surgery. I'll be in hospital for just under a week, then pretty much housebound for 3 more weeks, is what the docs say.

Read the next paragraph (in italic type) if you want the somewhat gory details. For the more faint of heart, please skip this next paragraph cuz it's major league icky! If all you want is the free bonus comic, skip all the way down to the bottom of this post.

Text of Keynote Address to Western Regional Queer Conference, '08

Hey there. Long time, no write.

I've just returned home from tour. I've been either on the road or in the hospital (woo-hoo!) from September up to now. Touring and writing are activities that demand all of me, so I don't do both at the same time. So, I'm back. To everything, there is a season. This seems to be the season for writing.

While I was on the road this year, I either performed my solo show, "On Men, Women, and The Rest of Us," or I delivered some sort of keynote address. The show is a cut-n-paste piece—drawn from all my favorite words to read/perform at that moment.

The keynote address is something that evolves over the course of months, even years. I spoke the latest version of something I'm working on at the 2008 Western Regional Queer Conference, hosted by UCLA. So, I'm including the text here because this is as far as I've gotten with it. The conference theme was "Viva the Queervolution!" Some conference attendees asked me to make my keynote text available, so here it is.

Roll Your Body Like Sister Kate

I am feeling SO MUCH BETTER THESE DAYS! I'm just now finishing week one, free of pain and free of narcotic painkillers. My great doctor at the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center (The GLBTQ health clinic in New York City) has put me on a terrific regimen of meds, and now I'm free to get my body into better shape, and that brought me to Yamuna Body Rolling. That's Yamuna in the picture to the left, holding the red ball.

My Stoopid Health Issues and Changes in Upcoming Tour

Okay -- no easy way to say this. Since my last posting, I've been in and out of hospital several more times. The docs haven't yet figured out what's wrong with me (as if they ever will! hahahahahaha!) -- but seriously, I'm in pretty much constant pain and on major painkillers pretty much constantly. I've been doing my very best to keep all the commitments for appearances on my schedule, but I've had to make a really hard decision: I won't be opening or touring my new solo show this spring and summer in Manchester, San Francisco, or Washington DC. Damn.

Sold Out!!!

I'm both pleased and frustrated to announce the unexpected and pretty cool news that the first edition of Hello, Cruel World has nearly sold out. There are a few copies left here and there. Seven Stories Press is working as fast as they can to print a second edition, and hopefully it won't take too long.

If you're looking for a copy of the book for yourself or as a gift for someone else, please email Seven Stories Press and you'll receive an email the instant the second edition comes out.

I've been getting great feedback from readers, and I'll be continuing to travel around using concepts from the book in all my upcoming engagements. And by the way... if you're reading this, you're part of the reason the book sold so well without an ounce of mainstream advertising. It was all through the very cool network of outlaw blogs and podcasts, and through underground print and AV media. I couldn't be prouder of our tribe, and that includes you. Thank you, and kiss kiss. Kate

More Audio with Kate -- here! with Josh and Sara

Yow, I've got lots more to say than I thought. Here I yam again at here! TV's podcast called here! with Josh and Sara. I had a great time talking with the two of them, and if you're tired of hearing me, they've got a great archive of programs that should keep you alive and kickin' for at least a couple of months.

So, click right here! for more audio of me, me, me!

I'll be checking back in witchoo later on.

kiss kiss, Kate

Feast of Kate!

I just had the FUNNEST time speaking with Fausto Fernos and Marc Felion, those two FABULOUS guys from Chicago who run the podcast, FEAST OF FOOLS. And, well, it's up here in cyberspace for everyone to hear. Eeek!

So, point your magic browser and have a listen to Kate Bornstein on Feast of Fools.

xoxo

Kate

Saturn Return. Whoopee, I'm on my 2nd One!

Your Saturn Return is when Saturn returns to the same position in the sky as when you were born. Saturn takes roughly 29-30 years to make one full orbit around the sun, so Saturn returns every 29-30 years. I turned 58 this past March, 2006. That puts me square in the middle of my second Saturn Return. If you're 27 to 31 years old then you're going through your first Saturn Return.

According to the scientifically dubious but nonetheless scarily accurate field of astrology, the planet Saturn effects us in terms of values, identities, and life direction. In your Saturn Return, there's generally a series of deep, profound changes in your life, usually in areas of your life that you've been avoiding looking at.

So how do you ride out your Saturn Return? Do you or can you prepare for it? Even if you don't believe word one of astrology, there's gonna come a time of BIG UPHEAVAL in your life. How're you going to deal with it?

shameless self-promotion. live with it.

I'm sorry. I haven't posted here recently. I'm in the thick of booking my college, university, high school and conference touring season. I've been writing a fuck of a lot, just not here. I'm sorry. I am. I'm still trying to figure out how to keep this blog updated and interesting, while keeping my other online spots up to date, and still have room for a life.

I would surely appreciate your help on the having-a-life part.